This document discusses approaches to strengthening farmers' capacity to link with markets. It focuses on three key areas: 1) viewing farmers as learners and businesses rather than just producers, 2) using participatory and interactive learning approaches rather than just one-time trainings, and 3) teaching business, market, and relationship-building skills not just production techniques. The goal is for farmers to see their farm as an enterprise and make informed long-term decisions.

1. Learning approaches in enhancing
farmers’ capacity to link with market
Dindo Campilan
Research Program Leader, Asia SP-RTCs
International Potato Center (CIP)

2. CIP and Farmer Capacity Strengthening
• CGIAR global research center for root and tuber crops
• Long research history on technological on-farm innovations
• Growing research emphasis on markets for poor producers/consumers
• Thematic focus: adding value to neglected, underutilized crops

3. CIP and Farmer Capacity Strengthening
SOUTH AMERICA
Andean native potatoes
Stimulating market demand,
conserving genetic diversity
AFRICA
High Vit A sweetpotato
Food-based strategy for
nutrition improvement

4. CIP and Farmer Capacity Strengthening
ASIA
Indonesia: Collective brand development
for traditional potato snackfoods
Philippines: Value-added processing for
sweetpotato raw material in feed industry

5. Linking Farmers With Market
Key Themes in Research & Devt
enabling policies and institutions
FARMERS
partnerships between market chain actors
decision-making
and action
capacity marketing support services
strengthening

6. Capacity strengthening for farmers
to link with market
Farmers decisions
and actions
CAPACITY STRENGTHENING
Farmers as learners
Learning approaches
Learning context

7. Farmers as learners
Deconstructing the “farmer” stereotype
• Farmer producing food for household AND for market
• Smallholder AND large-scale farmer
• Cultivator AND cultivator-trader-service provider
• Fulltime farmer AND farmer with nonfarm livelihood roles

8. Farmer learning approaches
• Farmers learn to increase production
marketing as afterthought
• Market chains learn to perform better
chain-wide platforms for enhanced farmer participation
• Farmers learn to grow and sell
farm business in dynamic market chains

9. Learning context
• Livelihoods portfolio
e.g. farm products diversification, specialization
• Social environment
e.g. individual, organization, network
• Learning experience
e.g. prior exposure to marketing
• Value system
e.g. economic gains, social norms

10. Approaches in capacity strengthening
• Participatory market assessment
appraisal, analytical exercises
• Multi-stakeholder dialogue
consultation, negotiation
• Single-event training
structured curriculum, classroom-based
• Chain-wide action learning
structured curriculum, involves chain-wide action
• Farmer business school
farmer-focused curriculum, interactive events with
other chain partners, facilitates testing and innovation

11. Key Learning Contents
Business management business planning
financial management
Market chain orientation market chain characterization
market opportunities identification
Developing and testing innovations value-adding technologies
institutional & commercial innovations
Organizations and services types of business organizations
accessing business support services
Social and ethical conduct character building and values formation
business ethics

12. Key design principles in farmer learning
• Fundamental farmer capacity: changing view of the farm from
production system to business enterprise
• Successful farm business requires capacity not only for technological
change; also for nurturing relationships with market chain partners
• Support everyday decisions between: preserving and growing limited
assets, immediate benefits and longer-term returns, concrete
economic rewards and less tangible social values
• Farmers learn better under familiar spatial/temporal/social settings:
field-based, season-long, and group-interactive

13. Thanks
Eco Pesantren
BALITSA Daarut Tauhid